The wanderers have arrived in Toulouse….not without some effort I might add!
Yesterday was an overcast 30 something degrees as we scrubbed and mopped our Malta abode, and tried to restore its owners environment for their return in September!
We said our final goodbyes to the locals and cousins and tried for an early night…as alarms were set for a 3.15am rising this morning!
Due at the airport at 4am for a 6am departure…along with the other 20 flights leaving all within an hour! One advantage of leaving first on Ryanair there is less chance of flight delays!
We set foot on French soil at a little after 8am ready for lunch! Well almost ….. but first deposit our 20kg suitcases at the hotel before midday check-in and our morning coffee!
The morning was damp and the temperature a mere 17 degrees….but pleasant for exploring …that is after the first cappuccino….small mistake on my part, I should have ordered a cafe crème, as a French cappuccino is served with a shot of coffee and three quarters of a cup of whipped crème…nevertheless the shot of coffee gave us a boost for a morning of walking!
Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France, close to the Spanish border and the Mediterranean Sea in the south, it also hosts the largest European aerospace industry…(our brush with the aerospace environment being our uncomfortable Ryan air flight with a small child kicking the back of our seat all the way) however our wandering took us through, green parks with fountains…
Gothic church spires…
Bricked residential streets….
Intriguing violet boutiques…….we spent a bit of time perusing Galleries Lafayette….numerous floors of overpriced clothes and shoes and handbags ….50% off sales started at €200 euros!!! Definitely a look and don’t touch exercise!
And by 11.30am it was certainly lunchtime…and Carolyn’s first foray into a French bakery…settling for a mini quiche and a baguette for me…half of which I shared, whilst we sat on a street bench! Very French!
Toulouse is a cycling town…every street is divided down the middle one half for cars and one for bicycles, which tend to be the more threatening danger as they appear from nowhere and, as pedestrians, one must cling to the street walls! Carolyn commandeered an errant delivery version.
The architecture had a little more colour than Malta, with impressive brick structures…
The capitol square, sporting hotels, opera house, cultural centre and cafes…
An inland city, Toulouse has the Garonne river running through the city, and a visit to the historical Pont Neuf bridge is a must. It’s construction began in the mid 1500s and was completed in the mid 1600s…
There she is….Looking rather moody on the overcast day…
Standing on the bridge the view to the north and another bridge spanning the Garonne river….
As we had whiled away the morning and it was well after midday (check in time) we meandered our way back to our hotel for a much needed lie flat! Leg sore and eyelids drooping from our early start….
Our heads hit the pillows of our single beds and a much needed nanna nap before we go in search of dinner….
Our 4th floor room with a view is opposite the train station and the street is littered with cafes…so the tired walking legs do not have far to go in search of food…
And we have a terrace, albeit littered with pigeon poo….
Tree lined streets harbouring the cafes….
We have decided that our lucky number is 410….this is the room number here and the same one we had of the 4th floor in Xlendi Bay, Gozo, hotel….coincidence???
All who wander are not Lost girls 